Despite the effectiveness in subcutaneous tumour model with intratumoral injection (Fig. 6), the failure of free siRNA to improve antitumour effect in orthotopic model (Fig. 7) suggested that the GNC–siRNA complex can resist serum nucleases degradation of naked siRNA, prolong the circulation lifetime of siRNA in blood, enhance the accumulation of siRNA to tumours and knockdown the targeted NGF gene, thus inhibit the orthotopic pancreatic tumour progression. This evidence concerns the gene NGF and pancreatic neoplasm.